Horizon Forbidden West: Audience and Industry

Audience

Look at this YouGov blog on the console gaming audience and answer the following questions:

1) What statistics can you find for the number of male / female players for the major consoles?

46% female players on the switch

2) What is the difference between 'hardcore' and 'casual' gamers - and which do you think would play Horizon Forbidden West?

I think Horizon Forbidden West is aimed at more hardcore games considering how it is an open world game so there is a lot to explore which would be very time consuming whereas casual gamers would prefer a game that you can return to and make progress quickly in like the sims.

3) What are the different reasons YouGov researched for why players play games? Which of these would apply to Horizon Forbidden West?

to pass time 

to escape from reality 

to relax and wind down - I think this applies most

out of habit

Look at the PlayStation website page for Horizon Forbidden West. Complete the following tasks: 

1) How is the game promoted to an audience?

Talks about it being open world and the narrative of the game

2) What are the key features for the game listed on the site?

new dangers

open world

new mysteries

3) What information does the website offer players about the game world and characters? Give a few examples.

narrative of the game and exploring Aloys backstory

4) What spin-offs and additional content are available as part of the Horizon franchise?  

the complete edition

5) Applying Henry Jenkins's work on fandom, what aspects of the website (you may need to scroll down) encourage fan activity and engagement with online Horizon communities?  

They offer paper crafts tutorials that fans can copy and also lots of detailed pictures of Aloys costume for cosplayers

Read this Wired feature on Horizon Forbidden West's open world design. Answer the following questions: 

1) Why did the writer enjoy Horizon Forbidden West?

It tackles the concept of an open world well and is always eager to spend time playing the game

2) How is Horizon Forbidden West structured for players when they first start the game?

The first 5-10 hours reels the player into the narrative and then leaves you free to explore the huge open world map

3) Why does the writer feel HFW created a more successful open world game than The Witcher 3?

The Witcher 3 whilst was also very open world it was too overwhelming for players and exploring a small place would take hours so it would make player be fed up and was only suitable for players who had extensive free time

Industries

Industry research

1) Research Sony PlayStation Studios. 

2) What studios are part of Sony PlayStation Studios?

Insomniac games and Guerrilla games 

3) What notable games have they produced? 

The last of us

Gran turismo

Marvels spider man Horizon

HFW

4) Now research Guerrilla Games. Look at the 'Explore' page in particular. Who owns Guerrilla Games and how does it reflect the modern videogames industry? 

Sony 

Shows how conglomerates buy many subsidiaries to use either vertical or horizontal integration to their advantage so they make more profit or have more control over their games

5) Choose one of the 'Guerrilla Spotlight' features and write three things you learn about the videogames industry and/or Guerrilla Games from the interview.

The have background information about some of the people who work at their company and what their role is within the company

They have trailers for all of their different games

They have links to the playstation website to buy their games or to learn more about them

Read this USA Today feature on Guerrilla Games. Answer the following questions: 

1) Which three companies merged to become Guerrilla Games?

orange games

digital infinity

formula game development

2) What other games and franchises were created by Guerrilla Games?

Killzone

shellshock

3) How did Guerrilla maximise the Killzone franchise? 

They would show off play stations latest hardware in their games 

4) What did Sony sign with Guerrilla in 2004?

Over a million copies of Killzone were sold  

5) How is Horizon Forbidden West described in the article and what is the next stage for the franchise?  

Showed a different side to Guerrilla and they will continue to explore further into the Horizon franchise 


Regulation and PEGI

1) What is HFW's PEGI rating and what age rating do you feel would be appropriate? Why?

16 which I think is appropriate considering the violent acts and maybe difficulty level of the game

2) Why is regulating videogames difficult in the digital age?

People can easily lie about their ages and buy games that are not meant for them

3) Are attitudes towards media content and regulation changing as a result of the internet? Explain your answer.

I think that regulation is getting worse and what would have been acceptable for a 12 year old to see before the internet has changed to what they are allowed to see now